Steinbach Residents Sue — A group of Steinbach homeowners has filed a lawsuit against the city over flooding in their homes, arguing that the severe water damage resulted from the government’s poor design and maintenance of the sewage system. The legal claim was filed on behalf of thirteen plaintiffs—nine couples and four individuals—in the Court of King’s Bench last week. All of the affected homeowners reside in the northeast part of Steinbach, where heavy rainfalls in September 2024 and September 2025 led to widespread sewage backups and home flooding. The court papers state that the rainfall entering the municipal sewers in this area was significantly increased during both storm events as a direct result of the city’s alleged negligence or nuisance.

According to the lawsuit, problems with the sewage system in the northeastern part of the city date back to the early 2000s, when Steinbach approved a development plan for the Clearspring Greens subdivision. Rather than diverting the subdivision’s sewer drainage along a major road, municipal officials routed it into the existing system servicing the northeastern part of the city where the plaintiffs reside. The court filing asserts that subsequent additions were made to the exact same sewer network without necessary infrastructure upgrades, compounding pressure on the local drainage capacity.

System Expansion and Allegations of Negligence

The court papers claim that following the approval of the Clearspring Greens subdivision, another residential development and the Steinbach Aquatic Centre were also connected to the same sewage system. Despite adding these significant residential and municipal facilities to the localized infrastructure, city officials did not take steps to add capacity to the system. The lawsuit alleges that the city breached its duty of care to the residents through several key actions and omissions, including:

Improperly designing the sewer system serving the northeastern part of the city.
Failing in its ongoing responsibility to properly maintain the sewage system.
Failing to enforce a municipal bylaw specifically intended to prevent the sanitary sewer from overflowing.
Failing to adequately inspect construction work taking place in the municipality.

The lawsuit details critical physical vulnerabilities that contributed to the flooding during the heavy rains in September 2024 and September 2025. According to the court claim, a significant amount of surface water flowed directly into open sewer manholes during both storm events. The manhole covers had been removed due to ongoing construction work in 2024 and 2025. Court documents emphasize that Steinbach’s sanitary sewer network is meant to be a closed system and was not designed to accept flowing stormwater.

Operational Failures and Bylaw Enforcement Issues

In addition to open manholes during construction, the legal filing accuses the city of failing to properly operate auxiliary equipment during the severe storms. Auxiliary pumps are utilized in the sewer network to speed up the flow of liquid through the system and reduce potential overflow. The lawsuit alleges that during both the September 2024 and September 2025 rainfalls, the city failed to use its auxiliary pumps in a timely manner, exacerbating the pressure on the system and leading to sewage backups in the plaintiffs’ homes.

The court filing also highlights long-standing issues surrounding municipal bylaw enforcement. The lawsuit alleges that Steinbach officials had known since at least 2015 that many residents were using sump pumps and other mechanisms to discharge rainwater into the closed sanitary sewer system. This practice explicitly violates a city bylaw designed to prevent the sanitary sewer system from flooding. However, the lawsuit claims that municipal officials intentionally declined to enforce the bylaw for years.

Official Acknowledgements and Legal Status

According to the lawsuit, several Steinbach officials have since acknowledged that the city failed to adequately operate and manage the sewage system serving the area around the plaintiffs’ homes. Following the flooding events, the city has also begun enforcing the sump-pump bylaw that it had previously declined to enforce.

The plaintiffs—nine couples and four individual homeowners—are seeking unspecified damages from the city to account for the losses, costs, and expenses they suffered during the floods. As of the time of filing, the City of Steinbach has yet to reply to the statement of claim in court.

Reporting based on original coverage from The Carillon. Stay tuned for further updates on Steinbach Residents Sue.

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